June 24, 2012

I've decided that tapioca is the Arnold Schwarzenegger* (or any other over-avid bodybuilder, for that matter) of thickeners. Why? Simply because it's super strong and, if we're being honest, a little bit gross.

*Ah, just kidding, Ahnold. You came to mind first because I recently rewatched Total Recall (quality eye-bulging effects and stimulating dialogue!). I'll be the first to admit that you've made some really enjoyable flicks in your time, and as I understand it, some people really liked you as the Governator.

Let's discuss tapioca. In the past, I've always used either cornstarch or plain, good ol' all-purpose flour to thicken my pies, so this blueberry pie was definitely an experiment. Admittedly, in those past pies, the filling has been quite runny more often than not (but always delicious!). Not so with this one, friends--that tapioca is powerful!

I can appreciate the impressive absorption abilities, but to me, it's not a pie if it's dry! What's worse is that you can actually see the unabsorbed little pearls of tapioca, and that absolutely taints an otherwise lovely pie. Yep, this was definitely an overuse of the tapioca. Solutions: Use less, or just stick with the cornstarch.

So other than my terrible trouble with tricky tapioca, this is an excellent pie, thanks mostly to a magnificent crust--it's flaky, buttery, and sturdy yet tender. Fresh or frozen blueberries will work, but if you can get fresh ones, do it! You can also adjust the amount of sugar to suit your tastes (3/4 cup would be plenty for those of you with a less dominating sweet tooth).

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Roll out your bottom crust and nestle it into the pan. At this point, I've learned that sprinkling some graham cracker crumbs (just a smattering, don't go crazy!) helps absorbs some juices...if you're using a reasonable amount of tapioca, of course. Set this aside.
Combine all the pie ingredients in a large bowl and gently combine. Pour into the prepared pan and store in fridge while you roll out the top half.
Place the top crust on, crimp the edges in a decorative fashion, and poke the top with plenty of air slits or decorative holes. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Place a baking sheet underneath the pie to catch any overflow. Place in the oven and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the juice starts to bubble out of the slits. Let cool completely before serving.

I always use 2 1/2 T. cornstarch and 2 1/2 T. tapioca to thicken my pies and it works out well! I read about it in a cookbook and they gave all the scientific reasons of why it works. I just know it tastes good!

I would have thought tapioca would be good and confess a fondness for tapioca, but it certainly does seem to have sucked out all of the lovely juices. I'm sure the lovely dollop of whipped cream made it all better

Your pie looks plenty delicious; wonderful flaky crust and lots of filling, just like I love it. Too bad about the tapioca-I agree that a pie should be somewhat juicy, but it's still outstanding Grace!

I haven't used tapioca with my pies yet. Mostly because I like them juicy too! But this pie looks delicious. And I didn't even see the tapioca in the picture. Looks like sugar to me! Thanks for sharing sweet friend!

Okay, so, teh boy and I were just talking about Ah-Nold. Really. Each summer we try to have a movie marathon and he came up for this summer's must watch one after the other. I'm thinking we'd need this pie to sustain us. Agreed on the tapioca. Something I learned in Home Ec when they actually had it about 50 years ago. Go figure! Gorgeous "pah" grace. :)